'Raj, there is no need to be so nervous! The duet was fine, wasn't it?' My friends just didn't understand my situation. I had a solo singing competition an hour later, and it was merely the second time I was about to sing in public, the first time being an hour prior to that.'Solo is something different altogether, ' I said, 'in the duet, my faults were masked. Moreover, now there are more seniors seated in the audience. I am going to get ragged by them like hell if I make even a single mistake.'

'Pardesi pardesi jaana nahiiiin .' A senior wailed in a high-pitched nasal voice. These seniors have wierd ways of keeping everyone entertained during breaks between two events. The fellow and his followers who had formed a herd near the last row in the seminar hall went on to croon'Bob the builder, kar ke dikhayenge' much to the amusement of others. Crazy people, why don't they go away and get something to eat during the break? Why do they have to make me even more nervous?

'Take it easy, dude, ' said my friend Rahul, 'Ladki Kyun is not difficult to sing, you'll do fine. Also, you can mimic Saif perfectly, so you can speak those funny dialogues as well.''Well, it's simple, agreed, ' said I, 'but it's not among my favourite songs. I won't be able to sing it from my heart.' My friend shook his head. He was bugged by the fact that I kept talking about the heart all the time, when all he was interested in was well, dot dot dot, you know what .'Arre then sing something that you can sing from your heart, as you call it. Which is your favourite song?' I grinned, 'There are 20 of them .'

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Please note: To avoid my list from looking a total RD Burman list, I have endeavoured to select 10 songs from films post-1990, and 10 from the golden era of the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s.

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Pre-90's

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Kya Hua Tera Vaada - Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin

One of Rafi's few pacy numbers, this song may have a racy guitar backup throughout, but is filled with pain; pain, in Majrooh's lyrics, wonderfully expressed by Rafi.

Dil ki tarah se haath mile hain, kaise bhala chootenge kabhi .

Katra Katra - Ijaazat

While admiring Asha Bhosle's mellifluous rendition of of Pancham's zingy melody, one mustn't overlook the lyrical richness this number possesses. Gulzar saab's pennings on how life flows along like drops of water are frankly, quite beyond my linguistic abilities, yet each and every word sounds musical in itself.

Tumne to aakash bichhaya mere nange pairo main zameen hai .

Yeh Vaada Raha - Yeh Vaada Raha

And this isn't about three semi-nude girls gyrating their hips. Kishore, Asha, RD - the combo says it all. A haunting whistle at the beginning followed by Asha's vocals set up this beautiful number.

Main aawaz hoon to tu hai geet mera .

Kya Se Kya Ho Gaya - Guide

Rafi Saab was a master when it came to tragic songs and he brings out the shock, despair and pain in Shailendra's words. The picturization of the song is another high point.

Jaane Jaan - Jawaani Deewani

A typical RD composition full of zany, crazy beats, this number is the ideal duet number. Kishore and Asha combine their voices brilliantly, and Asha's hummings while Kishore sings are the high point of the number.

Tujhse Naaraz(Male) - Masoom

Shock, despair and agony - another sad numer in my list. One wonders why we don't get bittersweet numbers like these anymore. Gulzar's pen continues to arrange stray words to form poetry.

I don't know why this is one of my favourite numbers. It's music is good, but nothing exceptional. Lyrics are beautiful, but there are many numbers which are richer in terms of lyrical beauty. Perhaps its the amazingly honest and cute settings in which the song is set, with reference to the film, as the underdog Palekar keeps dreaming about his desire of his love being reciprocated.

Suniye Kahiye - Baaton Baaton Mein

All I can say is - wow. All atheists are probably unaware of someone called Kishore Kumar. Kishore Da gives a lilting touch to the slow melody of this song.

Sunte, kehte, baaton baaton mein pyar ho jaayega .

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Post-90s

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Pehla Nasha - Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikander. My all-time favourite song, old or new, English or Hindi has to be Pehla Nasha! It is difficult to describe the beauty this song has. The beautiful lyrics(by Majrooh Sultanpuri) describe the innocence and elation of a first crush and the video is the icing on the cake. When Cupid strikes for the first time, the world seems to pass by in a haze. Others seem to be runing an F-1 race, while the love-struck remain dizzy in their joys, savouring every moment slowly. The slow-motion concept with Aamir snatching a piece of the sky in elation was a piece of genius. Udit Narayan is in top form while the criminally under-used Sadhana Sargam is simply divine. The piano piece at the beginning of the song gives me a strange inexplicable feeling whenever I hear the song. Simply the Cupid of all ballads!

Ik kar doon aasman aur zameen, kaho yaaron kya karoon kya nahin .

Tu Mile, Dil Khile - Criminal.

And here is the kind of song which is simply impossible to describe. Sappy to the core, its mush quotient can only be challenged by'Pehla Nasha'. Apart from the amazing composition and beautiful way in which each instrument is used, what stand out are the vocals. Both Kumar Sanu and Alka Yagnik display fantastic control while singing on an unusually high pitch.

The Enigma-like vocals create a haunting effect, and my favourite part of the song is after the English dialogues(which are quite akin to a song by The Police), when Alka Yagnik begins singing. Indeevar's lyrics take the cake as each and every line of this number continues to entrance me, with the sheer poetic brilliance on offer.

I choose this number over the more soulful melodies from Saathiya purely because this is the only number which can have me shake my two left feet, any time of the day. The beats may be'inspired' but it's Kunal and Shaan's imaginative vocals which are the best feature about this song.

Suno Na - Jhankaar Beats

The hitherto unknown Vishal-Shekhar created magic while composing the music for Jhankaar Beats. Suno Na is brilliantly sung by Shaan. Long in duration and high on melody, this one is a treat.